Club 80-90 Forums

Hmm, my garage told me having tried for ages to fit a new lower front balljoint thought they would heat up the new lower balljoint (83 Dg van) to get it in..i decided not to teach them to suck eggs and suggest they needed a decent press but some hoiurs later they call tos ay they will have to take the arm off to press it in.....NB westgate motors in HAckney, generally ok but obviously cut corners where possible.

. SO i'm away Tuesday and they will no doubt need a new inner mounting bolt for the arm (no way i'll get bushes for this before Tuesday morning now..) can anyone tell me what size and length this bolt needs to be and would it be possible to get one from anyone other than a vw place??

If anyone in London happened to have a lower arm with balljoint pressed in or even just an inner bush and bolt for the lower arm i'd be v grateful

I've had a rummage through boxes of spares, as I've bought bulk loads before to get one thing and could have had one. No luck, sorry.

I know the nut and bolt end need 19mm spanners.

Try megabug, they may be open:

Megabug
Unit 3
Whitehart Road
London
SE18 1DG

0208 3177333

Thanks for checking

ETKA suggests bolt is M12x1.5 and 105mm long.

With any luck the bolt should come free without needing it or the bush replaced. At least mine did when I replaced the springs a couple of years back.

But on a 1983 van (same as mine), can't they just remove the balljoint housing from the lower arm complete with ball joint? Then take the housing to the press. Need to remove three bolts which pass into the lower arm, through the balljoint housing and into the end of the radius rod.

Let me know how they get on as there is a chance I need to replace a bottom joint on mine for the next MOT. My van is in Westgate too at the moment getting a rusted windscreen frame sorted but if I needed to do the balljoint I was thinking of removing the housing myself as explained above and just taking that into a garage for new one to be pressed in to save on labour costs.

Thaks Pete- I would strongly suggest you do the work and just get the ball joint pressed in somewhere with a decent press. I don't think they have realised that on an early van you can separate the end of the lower arm with those bolts and am just about to post Bill the workshop manual pages that show how it all goes together- he may think i'm an interfering sod but its a pain to sit back and watch someone bodge it. ......on the other hand I did see your van in there and recognised it from the Epping meet, they seem to be better at bodywork and welding than mechanicals as I thought the work looked good and thorough. Im sure it was a bit more than you had bargained for but could not been visible with your screen in?

I now wish I had stripped the arm down myself and taken in for the joint to be pressed in. They have done the upper joint but that's easy and I , perhas foolishly, thought they would know that the lowr one needed pressing in rather than "we'll get it a bit wet..." i.e. lots of heat on the joint to soften it in....

Thats good as once he sees the drawing it should be straightforward for them to remove. Gave mine a few bashes with a hammer to unseize it and the hardest bit was lining up the holes to fit it all together later.

Thanks for the news on mine as last I heard was Monday when he said he would cut the hi-top corners off to get to the rot. I've not been working in central London much since I took the van in and don't want to hassle them for news as the way I see it they need the space and when it is ready I'm sure they will want it out of there to fit more in. I was the third T25 trying to get though the gate at opening time when I brought it in. I've known for a while it would be bad from the crusty corners on the outside and flakes of rust dropping on the inside whenever I hit a bump. However I was thinking the worst when I took the front locker out the day before and poked my fingers right through the crossmember!

Almost worth roof off?

Got my van back today after much fun n games ording to bill at the garage Now in Brighton with my youngedt for a half term break. Funnily enough the knock on front susp is still there after lower and upper ball joints so must be wishbone, track rods or sometjing else slack! Have previoysly done tie rod bushes drag link bushes and roll bar bushes. It hapoens as soon as I hit a lumo or bump ss opposed to whilst going over undulations. Feels a bit tighter now and if anything has magnified tjis slight knock.

Maybe your lower arm bush took a bit of hammering when they tried belting out the lower balljoint.

Steering I'd have thought you would feel through wheel if there was any wear enough to clunk although they usually pick it up at MOT before it gets that bad.

On other vehicles I've had clunks coming from the bushes in the shock absorber eyes when going over bumps so one more place to check if they have not been replaced recently.

Goid poinrs thanks. Ur right and I dont really feel it in the steering. Shocks are quite new. Can the inner bydhes on the travk conttol arm be dine by dropping the suspension with the wishbone ubdone and a new bush forced in with eg rubber grease a 50mm or so tube and a g clamp type set up?

Ns front chock top nut hsd worked loose and now tightrned up so will expect no more knocking! Not sure why these too nuts have no spring washer snd are not nylocks? Accorfing to haynes they just sit on top of the large washer on top of rubber bush on top of shock. Might replace with nylock or at least fit a spring washer.